Thursday, June 19, 2008

Other Items

Four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power.

So opens Andrew E. Kramer's "Deals With Iraq Are Set to Bring Oil Giants Back" on the front page of this morning's New York Times. Yes, Big Oil got exactly what it wanted. The article explains the bill making the theft of Iraqi oil 'legal' cannot be passed through the Iraqi parliament so this is a way -- with no-bid contracts -- for some to get in. How were they chosen since there were no bids? Well they were 'helpful.' They were giving advice. Now most would assume that's a charitable thing but Big Oil always gets a payback. From Andy Rowell's "The long wait to claim the prize draws to an end" (The Price of Oil):

The long wait may finally be over to claim the last great prize left for the oil industry.But not, importantly, how the oil industry, or the Bush administration wanted it to.Some 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power, four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to war-torn Iraq.Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP -- the original partners in the Iraq Petroleum Company -- along with Chevron and a number of smaller oil companies, are in talks with Iraq's Oil Ministry for no-bid contracts to service Iraq's largest fields.

It's difficult to imagine today, but 50 years ago the Iraqi oil industry was directed from offices thousands of miles from Baghdad.In the 1950s, number 214 Oxford Street, London, was the headquarters of the Iraq Petroleum Company.For three decades, the IPC held a stranglehold over Iraqi oil - a monopoly only broken with nationalisation in the 1960s.But once again, foreign oil companies are waiting for another opportunity to return to Iraq. With governments eager to see the rocketing price of crude oil kept under control, focus on Iraq is increasing.

That's the opening. Of course Antonia Juhasz could address the topic at length and if you're new to it, you should pick up her book THE BU$H AGENDA. And a new book by Juhasz, The Tyranny of Oil, will be released in September.

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Together, we are making a difference.

Onward

The Nader Team

PS: If you are in the New York City area tonight, please join with us at a rally for Nader/Gonzalez at Symphony Space.

Hope to see you there.

PS: We invite your comments to the blog.

Your contribution could be doubled. Public campaign financing may match your contribution total up to $250.

And a comment -- not on the Nader campaign -- from me. If you're unhappy -- as several people are -- that you e-mail someone in this community and they respond at their own sites, too bad. We're not eager to reply to e-mails in private. FAIR forwarded an e-mail and if FAIR will do it, why should we trust anyone?

There's no reason to offer something in private. We'll offer it publicly. And I am sick of e-mails coming into this site, to me, complaining about what someone else did at their own site. No, I'm not talking about members of the community complaining, I'm talking about the beggars of Panhandle Media. I've got complaints on Mike this morning (that he and I have already laughed about the phone) and it's always something. As a general rule, if you can't take public criticism, don't get into public life. A thought to add on, don't drop your trash outside my door. Mike doesn't take orders from me. He's a grown adult. You don't like what he wrote, write him. He'll laugh at you (as he should). But too many people are utilizing the public e-mail account of this site for issues not related to this site. You want to write Kat, Ruth, Isaiah or myself? Fine. Everyone else has their own e-mail addresses posted at their site. I don't like tattle tales and if the beggars were to tattle in person, I would steer them to a corner where they could take a time-out and think about their own actions.

And no matter how loudly you whine in an e-mail, I'm not going to side with you over them. Whine on, beggars, whine on.

It was way too hard...it was way too tough...On this she had not bargainedBut she was like some missionary dancing to the beat of someman's ancient drumAnd she tries hard to tell this story...but it's a hard one to tellShe consults her book of Miracles...Cry...and the wind says fly onWell now you're on your ownYou're back out on the road again for a million reasonsWell you're back out on the road againAnd you try to tie together some connections...You get some ribbons and some bows and get back out on the road again-- "Juliet," words and music by Stevie Nicks, originally on her The Other Side of the Mirror

About Me

We do not open attachments. Stop e-mailing them. Threats and abusive e-mail are not covered by any privacy rule. This isn't to the reporters at a certain paper (keep 'em coming, they are funny). This is for the likes of failed comics who think they can threaten via e-mails and then whine, "E-mails are supposed to be private." E-mail threats will be turned over to the FBI and they will be noted here with the names and anything I feel like quoting.
This also applies to anyone writing to complain about a friend of mine. That's not why the public account exists.